Hinrich leads as Bulls top Pistons

Hinrich scored 24 points filling in for injured phenom Derrick
Rose, and the Chicago Bulls beat Detroit, 99-91, Tuesday night
to pull within a game of the seventh-place Pistons in the
Eastern Conference.

"By no means is Kirk a backup point guard," Chicago's John
Salmons said. "But we've got the best backup point guard in the
league."

This hasn't been an easy season for Hinrich, but he was at his
best on a night when his team needed it. With Rose sidelined,
the veteran delivered a performance that brought back memories
of his first five years, when he was the starter and the Bulls
made three straight playoffs.

Of course, everything changed after last season's free fall.

Hinrich lost his job when the Bulls drafted Rose with the No. 1
pick, then sustained a thumb injury early on that knocked him
out for 30 games.

"It's been challenging at times, just trying to stay with it,"
he said. "I feel like I've been playing well lately in somewhat
limited minutes. I'm just trying to stay in and do whatever I
can to help the team make the playoffs."

Consider this performance one big assist from Hinrich, who
actually distributed eight.

He had plenty of help from the rest of the starters - all of
whom scored in double figures while playing at least 29 minutes.

Ben Gordon scored 19, Tyrus Thomas had 18 points and 12
rebounds, Joakim Noah scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds,
and John Salmons added 16 points as the Bulls earned their fifth
win in six games. More importantly, they now lead Charlotte by
two games and Milwaukee by two in the race for the Eastern
Conference's final playoff spot and are right behind
seventh-place Detroit, which has lost five of six.

Tayshaun Prince and Will Bynum scored 20 each for the Pistons,
who clearly miss injured stars Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace
and Richard Hamilton. Bynum also had nine assists while Antonio
McDyess scored 16, but the Bulls simply pulled away in the
second half.

"We really need those guys back," Prince said. "But at the same
time, while they're not here, we've got to figure out a way in
the situation we have. We almost have to play perfect basketball
to come out with a win."

Trailing by one early in the third, Chicago scored 10 straight
to go ahead for good, 60-51, and broke it open early in the
fourth. An off-balance Thomas started the final quarter by
banking a short transition jumper and buried the free throw, and
Hinrich followed with a jumper that made it 80-68. Another layup
by Hinrich midway through the quarter made it 92-73, and while
he certainly didn't make anyone forget about Rose, the veteran
did an admirable job filling in for the star rookie.

His only failure was at the end, when he missed the second of
two free throws and denied fans the free Big Macs that come when
the Bulls score 100. They let him hear it then and during a
postgame interview. Otherwise, he gave them plenty to cheer.

"I've got a thicker skin than that," a grinning Hinrich said.

Tuesday's game was the first of two remaining between these old
rivals, who are jockeying for playoff positioning while dealing
with injuries.

Rose's absence was a mild surprise for the Bulls, considering he
wound up playing 39 minutes at Washington the previous night
despite injuring the wrist on a dunk attempt in the second
quarter. X-rays and an MRI showed no damage. Even so, he was in
too much pain to play on Tuesday.

The Pistons, meanwhile, have their injury issues.

Iverson missed his 14th game in a row with a sore back, while
Wallace (strained left calf) and Hamilton (strained left groin)
missed their eighth and fifth straight, respectively. Clearly,
the Pistons miss their stars. Then again, they weren't exactly
rolling when they were healthy.

They dropped eight in a row before Iverson went down, and after
a four-game win streak, the losses started piling up again.

"We need to stay the course and try to control what we can
control," Pistons coach Michael Curry said.